Description
This Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake is a festive and moist holiday dessert featuring a tender crumb studded with fresh or frozen cranberries. Perfectly balanced with vanilla and almond extracts, this pound cake is a delightful treat to celebrate the season. Easy to prepare and baked to golden perfection, it can be dusted with powdered sugar or glazed for extra sweetness.
Ingredients
Scale
Butter Mixture
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon flour (to toss with cranberries)
Other Ingredients
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (if frozen, do not thaw)
- Powdered sugar for dusting or glaze (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan thoroughly to ensure the pound cake doesn’t stick during baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, which incorporates air for a tender crumb.
- Add Eggs and Extracts: Add the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract and almond extract if using for added flavor depth.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening agent and salt.
- Mix Batter: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the sour cream. Start and end with the dry ingredients, mixing gently to maintain a light batter.
- Prepare Cranberries: Toss the cranberries in 1 tablespoon of flour; this helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
- Fold in Cranberries: Gently fold the floured cranberries into the batter to evenly distribute without breaking them.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve: Before serving, dust the cake with powdered sugar or drizzle with a simple glaze made from powdered sugar mixed with milk or orange juice if desired.
Notes
- To make a glaze, mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 1–2 tablespoons milk or orange juice until smooth.
- This cake can be made a day ahead and keeps well for several days if wrapped tightly.
- Use fresh cranberries when possible for best texture; if using frozen, do not thaw to avoid discoloring and excess moisture.
- For a nutty aroma, almond extract is optional but recommended.
